The Naive and Sentimental Lover [Hardcover]

John le Carre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1971

Aldo Cassidy is plunged into a whirlpool of recklessness and spontaneity by a sudden encounter with Shamus, a wild artist, and Helen, his nakedly alluring wife. From the author of CALL FOR THE DEAD, THE SECRET PILGRIM and THE NIGHT MANAGER.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Times Splendid, original...le Carré shows how endowed he is with the gift of storytelling. -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John le Carr - was born in 1931. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, secured him a worldwide reputation, which was consolidated by the acclaim for his trilogy: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honorable Schoolboy, and Smiley's People. His novels include The Little Drummer Girl, A Perfect Spy, The Russia House, Our Game, The Taileor of Panama, and Single & Single. John le Carr - lives in Cornwall. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd; First Edition edition (September 1, 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340156503
• ISBN-13: 978-0340156506
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,638,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John le Carre was born in 1931. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, secured him a worldwide reputation, which was consolidated by the acclaim for his trilogy: Tinke, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honorable Schoolboy, and Smiley's People. His novels include The Little Drummer Girl, A Perfect Spy, The Russia House, Our Game, The Taileor of Panama, and Single & Single. John le Carre lives in Cornwall.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, memorable, surprising...READ IT!, August 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Naive and Sentimental Lover (Hardcover)

As a Le Carre fan I was a little confused when I first started this novel - this is not another spy novel. Sort of like when you order coffee and are presented with a cup of tea: but then if it's the best cup of tea you've ever had, you soon forgive the mistake. The author was exploring an entirely different side to himself when he wrote this. I first read this book many years ago and it has haunted me since, and still rates as one of my all-time top 5. It is an achingly beautiful and involving story about three people struggling with themselves while caught in a love triangle. The power relations between the characters are intense and engaging. Read this classic story about the "human condition" and be amazed, entertained and moved.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Revisiting a difficult and atypical Le Carre, August 24, 2005

By 

David Starr-Glass (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Naive and Sentimental Lover (Hardcover)

A historical setting might help to understand this book. John Le Carre (the pseudonym for David Cornwell) began his brilliant writing career with two not-so-impressive mystery books, which were not well received. His third book, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" was his first "spy book", although his writing is too rich and multi-layered to be characterized so narrowly. However, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" was very, very successful and his career was well and truly launched.

"Naïve and Sentimental Lover" was the fourth book and Le Carre seems to have been exploring different styles and genres. "Naïve and Sentimental Lover" is a wandering coming of age book in which the central character, Aldo Cassidy (the name should already have alerted you to a problem), tries to make sense of his life and calling as CEO for a baby pram company (yes, that is correct).

The book is redolent of bell-bottomed trousers, flowers in the hair, hippy culture, and concerned social questioning (over the vegetarian quiche) of the late 1960s and early 70s. Add to this the maniacal writer-in-being Shamus, his marginally nymphomaniac wife Helen, and total abandonment in Paris and you have a book that is quiet unlike anything Le Carre ever wrote again.

It is a difficult book and although I consider Le Carre perhaps the finest writer of our times, I could not finish it at a first reading. Recently, I revisited the book after a dozen or more years. I did complete it and am happy that I made the effort to pick it up again. Perhaps the distance helped?

It was, second time round, a very entertaining and quite hilarious read that was not, I suspect, ever meant to be read too seriously. It is quite funny, wickedly satirical in parts, and has an improbability that might be enjoyed for some readers. Serious social themes are not really developed and we remain in a colorful but depressingly self-absorbed world for most of the book.

"Naïve and Sentimental Lover" is a one-off, difficult to characterize book. After this Le Carre returned to developing his emigmatic George Smiley and engaging us in a world of deception, betrayal, and deceit. If you have read Le Carre's works, you will probably be astonished by the difference and ingenuity of this book: it is not a masterpiece but it will give you unexpected insights into the author. If you have not read Le Carre before, this is NOT the place to start: go for "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" or "The Honorable Schoolboy" - classic, vintage, and delectable Le Carre.

David S-G

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Painful, June 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Naive and Sentimental Lover (Mass Market Paperback)

Over the years, I had read all of Le Carre's books except for this one. I recently decided to give "Naive" a try, notwithstanding the departure from a "spy" theme. Subject matter aside, which is a two man, one woman love triangle, the book is painfully slow. While I usually find Le Carre's character development to be compelling, and his books hard to put down, I had great difficulty getting through the middle of this one. I'd never before read one of his books and found myself anxious to be finished. I'm an enormous Le Carre fan--I think of him as my favorate author. Nonetheless, my advice is to skip this book.